Choosing the Best Domain Extension

All domain names have an extension that suits your activity type (i.e. .com for companies, .org for non-profit organisations etc.). You may like to secure multiple extensions depending on how you are promoting your activity, and in which country.

It's generally regarded that there are two types of domains – those for 'global use' and those for 'local use'.

Often referred to as 'Top-Level Domains', global use domains look like www.YOURDOMAINNAME.com. Local use domains, often referred to as 2nd Level domains, are associated with the country of activity. In Australia this looks like www.YOURDOMAINNAME.com.au. Each country has its own 2nd level extension and sometimes more than one.

In Australia it is important to know that to register a local use domain (i.e. .com.au or .org.au) the purchaser must provide details of an ABN and if relevant, proof of charitable status.

.com (.au)

Can be registered by anyone. They were originally intended for businesses and commercial organisations, however very popular with individuals.

.net (.au)

Can be registered by anyone. They were originally intended for network infrastructure providers and IT businesses.

.org (.au)

Can be registered by anyone. They are popular for non-profit organisations or political groups.

asn.au

Strict policy ensures that only non-commercial organisations including incorporated associations, political parties, trade unions, sporting and special interest clubs, charities and non-profit organisations are eligible for asn.au Domain Names.

.info

Can be registered by anyone. They are intended for information resource websites, but are also popular for personal websites.

.biz

Can be registered for commercial or business purposes.

.tv

Suitable for video content or program streaming websites

Registration Rules

.com, .net, .org

Only letters, numbers, or hyphens ("-") are allowed. The domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen. The domain name must have at least 2 characters and less than 63 characters, not including .com, .net or .org.

.info

Only letters, numbers, or hyphens ("-") are allowed. The domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen. The domain name must have at least 3 characters and less than 63 characters, not including .info.

.biz

Only letters, numbers, or hyphens ("-") are allowed. The domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen. The domain name cannot have two hyphens in a row. The domain name must have at least 3 characters and less than 63 characters, not including .biz.

Industry Structure

For a detailed understanding on the structure of domain names available around the world please visit WikiPedia.